X, 52-53. themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burned? Nehemiah rose up, and said . . . Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, yours wives and your houses. And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known unto us, and God had brought their counsel to nought, that we returned all of us to the wall, every one unto his work. Nehemiah iv, 2, 14, 15. (R.v.) 52. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew iii, 1, 2, 3. (a.v.) 53. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make strait in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah xl, 3. (A.V.) X, 54-56. 54. Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Matthew xi, 11. (A.v.) 55. The Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. John ii, 13-16. (a.v.) 56. Ye have made it a den of thieves. Matthew xxi, 13. (a.v.) 57. X, 57. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence* of things not seen. By it the elders... Abel... Enoch... Noah...Abraham... Moses... David... Samuel... The prophets... subdued kingdoms... wrought righteousness... stopped the mouths of lions, . . . escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. . . They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; of whom the world was not worthy. . . . These all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. Hebrews x1, 1-34, 37-40. (A.V.) *American R.V., "conviction." |